[closed] it's not the long walk home that will change this heart

[onlyhymns]

WHO: Cade, Nari, a healer at the end (Sam?)
WHAT: a camping trip turned awkward family reunion
WHEN: sometime in Guardian w/e
WHERE: the easternmost edge of the Planasene forest
NOTES: warning for violence, discussion of self-harm and sexual abuse of a child

Between the flu, the fire, and Kit's passing, things have been rough lately. One of the few boons of Cade's excommunication from the Templars has been an abundance of freedom, with which, until recently, he had no idea what to do.
But sometimes one just needs to get out of the city. Not on a special mission or anything serious, just a little hunting trip, a pocket of time spent in the quiet isolation of nature. It's the one thing he missed from his time in the Hinterlands, and perhaps it's time to do it again.

Nari is invited, for her particular losses, and for her help throughout the flu. She looked out for him, and he's worried what she might do if left alone in the wake of her grief. Perhaps it's best if they both remove themselves for a while.

In separate tents, of course.

It's on the edge of the Planasene where they finally make a less temporary camp, setting up to stay for a few days by a small creek in a grove well-insulated from the still sharp winter winds. It's early morning, and the horses are lazing tethered to a tree, content to spend the day eating grass and rolling in whatever dust is nearby.
Cade is preparing for the day, sitting by the fire and sharpening his arrows, waiting for Nari to join him so they can cast out.

Comments

[el_tybs]

"Thanks," he says as he takes the scissors before looking back at the stitches. They're decent, but clearly a quick patch for the situation and it certainly looked like they pulled during the ride.

"Well, you could probably tell me exactly why Cade was being shot at while I do this." As he says that Sam starts to snip away at the stitches carefully, getting them out of the way since it would be more problematic to take them out after healing it up. "But you could also just keep on eye on him while I do this." Generally make sure Cade is still breathing while he works since he did lose a lot of blood it seems.

[nadasharillen]

If it were anyone else, she’d choose the latter, but it’s Sam. Nari chews at her lip for a moment and then settles down to lean against a nearby chair.

“It was meant to be just a quiet hunting trip. I thought it was safe enough, we weren’t near even the edge of where I remember patrolling, but the winter was leaner than usual and the hunters had to come farther east than I’d thought.” She pulls one of her knees up to rest her chin on and turns her head to watch the light but regular breathing of the man on the cot. “Dahlasanor has a ...history, with humans.” Putting it lightly. “We got caught out by two of the least merciful of my clanmates, and I barely got a word out before Sedi’d shot him twice. It was very nearly worse than that.” Nari tilts her head so that her cheek rests on her knee instead. “For the both of us.”

[el_tybs]

Hearing the story slowly brings a frown to Sam's face, but he keeps working diligently in removing the stitches. Once they are out he gives the wound a quick clean up with the water he had set nearby to get a better look. Once he was satisfied that there wasn't anything left in the hole he begins the process of healing, calling on Fortitude to help quicken the process.

"And I'm guessing you came to me outside of the infirmary because you didn't want to make this publicly known." It's a guess, but word getting out that there were elves about shooting humans... it wouldn't matter who the elves were, it would just cause more problems.

[nadasharillen]

“That’s... yes. We can’t afford any more ill will between humans and the People... especially between humans and these People. Ashara and Dahlasanor are joined now.” Nari shakes her head slowly, her lips thinning. Feeling like her clan was a liability was more than a little uncomfortable. “We can’t have the Scoutmaster of the Inquisition associated with something like this,” she says ruefully.

After a pause she speaks again, more quietly this time. “...He can’t afford it either, Sam. Cade’s been too close to too much trouble, and I won’t be the reason they decide it’s one time too many. It would...” It would kill him as sure as any arrow. Nahariel turns her face into her knee briefly, and then back to watching Cade sleep, something odd and fierce in her gaze. “That can’t happen.”

[el_tybs]

"No, we can't have any of that, but... you can't stay quiet about it either." Sam sighs as the light dims from his hand and he inspects what was once the wound. It was patched and looked like nothing had ever been there, but it was still a quick heal so they would have to go over it several more times to make sure it was fully healed. With that done he moves the blanket back down to cover Cade and relocates to do the same to his shoulder.

"You're going to have to tell someone, like the Scoutmaster. If the Clan is shooting people on sight only an hour out from Kirkwall, someone else is going to get hurt or killed. Something has to be done to prevent that."

The comment about 'too much trouble' has the mage pausing, looking down at Cade then at Nari. "Hardly his fault in this case, but I see what you mean. I won't say anything."

[nadasharillen]

She shakes her head. "I called you an hour out, but the fringes of the forest are a day's ride away at least. It's..." Nari whuffs out a sigh. "No, you're right, it's still a problem. Beleth already knows, but I'm going to go find her and speak further. Tomorrow, maybe."

Running both hands through her hair, Nari looks up at Sam with a thin crooked smile and a face that says she's just about given up trying to keep a handle on anything. "Thank you," she says, and means it. "Really."

[el_tybs]

"Ah," he hums at the correction. He had misunderstood the distance. A day's travel didn't put anyone in the direct vicinity at risk, but even so, close enough that travelers coming/going from Kirkwall and hunters would be affected. It was easy keeping something this small and isolated quiet, but not so much if it became a regular occurrence. Especially with those who weren't fans of elves, or at least the Dalish.

By now the wound on Cade's shoulder was in similar shape, healed with no sign of a wound being there, but it would need more mending just like his thigh. That being done Sam checks to make sure that Cade was still responsive in some way before letting him rest on the cot.

"He should be fine now, but he shouldn't move for a while, not until he's more stable; he lost a lot of blood it seems. So I suppose... he can stay here. For now. Plus it would probably look bad if it looked like either or both of us were carrying a body around." He's joking, but seriously, that would look bad.

[nadasharillen]

Nari snorts a laugh through her nose at the jest and tugs the chair she's leaning on around so she can rest her arm on it, her head on her arm, content to relax now that danger's past.

"What about you, Sam?" she asks, peering up at him seriously, "How are you holding up?"

[samahl]

Cyril happens to come back home at this moment so the front door opens and he enters. He usually seeks out Sam when he comes home to see what the mage is doing, and this time he happens upon this interesting scene.

He pauses, looks between Nari and Sam, and then to Cade who is very unconscious.

He puts down his bag. "What happened and how I can help?" he asks. It looks like Sam is already got things handled but he still doesn't want to be a bother. Even if helping is staying out of the way, he wants to do what he can.

[el_tybs]

"How am I doing?" he repeats, letting out a huff as he considers that. He supposes the last time they had talked there was lightning crashing down and shocking them. Fun times. "I'm-"

The thought is lost though when the door opens, and judging by how easily it had mean that it was Cyril. Sam sort of freezes where he is as his lover comes walking onto the scene, not sure how he's going to take it.

Well it seems.

"We'll need to make a place for Cade to sleep?" Probably down here where it would be easier to get to the washroom and not having to worry about Cade falling down stairs if he managed to get up on his own at some point. As for 'what happened', Sam looks at Nari on that.

[nadasharillen]

Nari, for her part, looks up at Cyril with a weary half-smile and the same ‘I give up’ look on her face that she graced Sam with earlier, wonders how many more times she’ll have to say: “One of your new clanmates, who is now no longer your clanmate—albeit not because she got at a shem’len—shot him twice. He’s okay. Or he will be. Just needs rest.” And then, somehow both genuine and droll, “Thank you for your hospitality, lethallin.”

Shifting to look back at Sam, she says “I’m sure the cot would be fine. We could move him to the couch now that he’s not like to bleed on it, but that’d mean waking him up, and I’d soon as let him sleep. He’s had a couple of days.”

So had she, to a far lesser degree, but Nahariel wasn’t in the business of caring for herself.

[samahl]

Cyril comes closer and puts a hand on Nari's shoulder, trying to give her some comfort. He has a lot of questions but he doesn't voice them just yet. He also bites back the knee jerk reaction to point out that he isn't sure he has a clan anymore. He doesn't want to make this about him. Instead, he makes sure she's uninjured and looks between them again.

"If he wakes and can be brought upstairs, he can have my bed." A pause. "Though I'm not sure how comfortable with that he will be."

[el_tybs]

Sam sighs and rubs the back of his neck as he considers their current situation.

"We'll keep him on the cot for now and let him sleep. Eventually we can move him to the couch where it's more comfortable; it's warmer here by the fire. If he ends up needing to stay here for an extended stay... we'll figure the bed situation at that point based on Cade's comfort level." In general Cade might not be comfortable with either of their beds.

"And what about you, Nari?" he asks. "We have space if you want to stay."

[nadasharillen]

Nari angles her head to touch Cyril’s hand with her cheek to acknowledge the comforting gesture. “I’m... I’ll be fine here,” she says. From the floor. “I can sleep anywhere,” she continues, twisting slightly where she is to stretch. “A gift. Isen used to make fun of me.”

Sam and Cyril seemed the type to insist on further hospitality, however, which meant that her attempt to be less trouble would cause more consternation than she’d like, so she casts her eyes around the room. “If you’ve an extra blanket I’ll take the couch.”

[samahl]

Cyril raises his brow a bit, though it's a teasing gesture more than anything. "Would you be uncomfortable in my bed too? I promised I washed the sheets."

He isn't going to push more than that, though, and the comment is more lightly than stern. He knows Nari probably wants to stay close to her friend.

[el_tybs]

Well he had meant if she wanted to stay in the house in general seeing as he wasn't sure if she wanted to go back to her own residence or anything. But it sounded that she had already planned on staying while Cade was present, which was fine.

He knows what Cyril says is only meant as a tease, but something about it seems to remind Sam of something. "... I do have an extra mattress that we could bring down as well."

[nadasharillen]

“I don’t have the willpower to fight the both of you,” Nari chuckles, sitting up and raising her hands in good-humored surrender, “put me where you like, as long as I’m—” a brief pause, as she purses her lips, scolding herself inwardly. He doesn’t belong to you, Nahariel. Any friendly face is as good as yours. “—as long as someone’s here, in case he wakes up in the middle of the night somewhere unfamiliar.”

Something was at her like a sore tooth; and like a sore tooth the more she poked at it, the stranger it felt. Maybe she should sleep somewhere else.

“...I’ll take your offer then, Cy. Since you cleaned especially for me,” she says, the corner of her mouth twitching up.

[samahl]

Cyril nods at that, offering her a comforting smile. "Why don't we let Sam take care of Cade and you and I can go check out my room? See if there is anything else you need for it?

[el_tybs]

Looks like he was getting volunteered, but it made sense; he was the healer. That and he supposed Cyril had questions for Nari.

"Sure. Guess I'll watch him for a while."